


working blues

by ianplease



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Coincidences, Daichi is a tired office worker, M/M, Post-Graduation, Working AU, filo au, save him, text mates, the boys are all in a group chat to support daichi, wrong send AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-01-23 22:04:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21327397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ianplease/pseuds/ianplease
Summary: Daichi is a tired fresh grad who's been working for around a year at a job he hates. He tries his best to push himself forward— after all, he needs to sustain himself and survive. He's on the verge of leaving his job when something makes him think about his decision again.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou & Sawamura Daichi, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 21
Kudos: 7





	1. wishful thinking

**Author's Note:**

> im back with another filo au (laughs in work) i've been inspired by the number of filo sns aus on twitter but i'm not too familiar with how to go about that, so i wrote this instead lmao

_Paulit-ulit na lang—_ Daichi sighed as he rested his head against his arm that was holding on to the metal rail of the jeepney he was riding. Every day, he would wake up at 4:30 AM and prepare to go to his work shift that started at 8 AM. He wasn't sure if this was the life he wanted to lead when he graduated from university: a standard office worker at an 8-5 job that doesn't even pay well. Was leaving the house before 6 AM to get to the 8 AM shift even worth it? He couldn't find any redeeming things about the job he was at. No overtime pay, a heavy workload, and a salary that was only enough to get him by every salary period. Same old people, same old bullshit.

_Tangina talaga._ Of course he couldn't really complain. After all, more people had to commute for longer times at farther distances. Either way, he planned to stay in this company for around two years before he bounced. He closed his eyes and took a deep sigh. _Shit, buti na lang puro tulog yung kasabay ko sa jeep na `to._ He felt so tired even if he was still on his way to work so he was thankful for the silence of the ride. One jeepney ride to the MRT, then he'd line up for an hour if he was lucky, then hope that the train wouldn't fuck up on the way to Shaw. Imagine, North Station to Shaw without the extremely long lines was bearable, really. Shaw wasn't even that far. If anything, Daichi was thankful he didn't take the job he was offered before at the Makati area but then again, the atmosphere might have been better— _Ah, whatever._

Daichi felt like he was dying— not physically, but more on everything else. He didn't have much of a social life anymore, he didn't do volleyball anymore since he would be exhausted from the commutes, he hasn't been eating properly, everything was a blur. His memory has been cloudy and he wasn't sure of a lot of things anymore.

North station, finally.

_Why do I even bother to go to Ortigas everyday?_ Ortigas was a nice place, if you discount the fact that everything was expensive and that there are rarely any jeeps so you just walk everywhere. Lots of high-rise buildings, people clad in polos and slacks but also people in attires that scream college students. Meanwhile, Makati was traffic as hell but at least they had jeeps.

His phone vibrates in his pocket and he quickly checks it while waiting for the trains.

_Pre, wag mong kalimutan uminom ng gamot ah. Baka mahilo ka bigla._

It was from his flatmate, Kuroo. He appreciated the message but it made him wonder about how forgetful he's been getting to the point of his busy graduate student friend would remind him of something that was already ingrained in his routine.

_Thanks, Kuroo._

He pockets his phone and sighs in relief when the train finally arrived. He rushed to get inside and as usual, the wagon he found himself in was full. He squeezes himself in and he waits for the doors to close.

Everyday was the same. Commute, wait, walk, work, eat, work, walk, wait, commute, and go home. Sometimes he would forget to eat dinner with how exhausted he was but luckily, his flatmates would leave food for him if they could. He usually hangs out with them when he manages to catch them at a free time but their schedules usually don't match. Either way, he's thankful for the company.

Still, the interactions didn't fill in that yearning that's he's missed; the way his heart would flutter when speaking to someone he had a romantic interest in, the warmth of having someone to hold every time you go home— the last he's had all of this was back in university with a course mate, Terushima Yuuji. It's been a while, maybe around three years. It's not like Daichi wasn't attractive, if anything, he was pretty handsome with his broad 5'9" build.

He shakes his head, hoping to prevent the reminiscing—he didn't want to be even sadder than he already was— and patiently waits for his stop. He hates taking the MRT at rush hour— but to be fair, no one really wants to take this screaming metal death trap during rush hour. Shuffle, adjust, hope that no one was going to touch him or steal his shit. Same old, same old.

Will shit ever change? A small part of him does. His brain, however, tells him otherwise.

* * *

Lawson, 7/11, Ministop, and Family Mart were the convenience stores that popped up in almost every corner of Ortigas Central Business District. As Daichi was at the last stretch to reaching his office building, he decides to stop by the Family Mart which was around two buildings away from his destination.

He gets a rice meal and a bottle of soymilk and plans to get a choco-walnut cookie once he pays for everything. He stops for a bit to stare at the rack of Esse and Marlboro cigarettes and shakes his head. _Tagal mo nang 'di nagyoyosi. 'Wag ka nga; self-control tayo, Daichi._ Just as he was ready to line up at the cashier, someone who just sat by the table by the window catches his eye— after all, it's not every day you see someone with silver hair color.

Maybe he stared a little too long or maybe he looked like an idiot with the food in his hands because the guy ended up noticing him. Instead of the usual _deadma_ looks he would get at this situation, Daichi was surprised to be greeted with a warm smile and wave from this stranger.

Daichi felt his heart flutter. That was the most energetic smile he's ever gotten at 7:45 AM in quite a while. He attempted to smile back at the silver-haired stranger and before it could all register, the cashier called his attention with a tired voice.

"Sorry," he placed the food items he was going to buy on the counter. "_Eto po. Tsaka_ isang choco-walnut cookie."

"Okay lang _po_, Sir. _Iinitin na po 'yung_ rice meal?"

"Yes, please."

"Take out _po_?"

"Yes _po._"

The cashier punches in all the orders, announcing the total amount. Daichi hands her the exact amount and she proceeds with her routine. She hands him the receipt, puts the rice meal in the microwave, wraps a choco-walnut cookie with the standard Family Mart paper, and places the bottle of soymilk in the paper bag. After a while, the rice meal was warm and she placed it in the paper bag, along with the cookie wrapped with paper.

While this was all happening, Daichi peered over at the friendly stranger, who was now on his phone. _Shit, ang cute niya. Ano kaya pangalan niya?_

"Sir, _eto na po_ order _niyo._ Thank you _po_."

"_Salamat_," he nods at the cashier and gets the paper bag off the counter and proceeds to walk to the exit. Even if he was so intrigued by that stranger, he still needed to get to work after all. As he passed by the silver-haired man, the words didn't come out of his mouth so all he could muster was a wave. Luckily, the stranger seemed to notice this and waved back at Daichi, this time, with a toothy smile.

Daichi smiled back- and hoped he didn't look haggard as fuck- and proceeded to walk to his workplace, unable to get the image of that mystery guy out of his mind. Maybe it was just the universe being nice to him after weeks of hell? Maybe. He wasn't sure. Whatever it was, he took it anyway.

_Mhm, baka magiging okay naman pala 'tong araw na 'to._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is this a possible projection of my last job? MAYBE. but anyway, thanks for stopping by!
> 
> let me know what you think here and on twitter @daichistan
> 
> \--
> 
> Translations  
Paulit-ulit na lang - It's this shit all over again  
Tangina talaga - fuck this  
Shit, buti na lang puro tulog yung kasabay ko sa jeep na `to - luckily, the people on this jeep are all asleep.  
Pre, wag mong kalimutan uminom ng gamot ah. Baka mahilo ka bigla. - Dude, don't forget to drink your meds. You might get dizzy out of the blue.  
Tagal mo nang 'di nagyoyosi. 'Wag ka nga; self-control tayo, Daichi. - It's been a while since you've last smoked. Don't do it, Daichi; self control.  
deadma - NR, snobbish  
Shit, ang cute niya. Ano kaya pangalan niya? - Shit, he's cute. I wonder what his name is?  
Salamat - Thank you  
Mhm, baka magiging okay naman pala 'tong araw na 'to. - Maybe today was going to be an okay day after all.


	2. displaced messages?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The commute Daichi had was exhausting enough and he gets greeted by a sudden thread of messages?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise, it's a chat fic HAHA god, i'm so sorry but yes, this is my thing apparently? have fun xo i'll try to put translations asap!

Daichi had the same routine everyday. Wake up, prepare for work, commute to work, work (and pretend to work during down times), hope for the best, and commute back home only to do it all again in the morning. He had little to no time for himself anymore; he was extremely sick of it. It was 5 PM and his boss told him he didn’t have to render overtime hours--maybe the stars were really cooperating with him? Working overtime was the worst given the traffic in the metro. Sure, you would get overtime pay but at what cost? He was exhausted from writing reports, dealing with office mates and annoying clients. He just really wanted to go home.

* * *

Daichi immediately conked out on his bed the moment he dressed to his house clothes. His commute lasted him around three hours— _thanks, Payday Friday feat Mall Sales— _ and he was fucking exhausted. Sure, he saw the cute guy at Family Mart earlier that day but that wasn't enough to get him through the work day. He didn’t want anyone to talk to him or even just interact with him. Once he got home, Kuuro was there but the latter noticed how grumpy and tired Daichi was. Kuroo was very much aware of these states Daichi would get, so he just let him sleep. Thankfully, that much needed rest was what Daichi required to recharge, so he woke up feeling a bit more like himself. However, once he woke up a few hours later, Daichi was greeted by a thread of messages from a mystery number. He wasn't too sure if it was a scam, a mistake, or one of his friends playing a prank on him. Regardless, he checked his phone— with around 8 notifications, all from the same unknown number.

Daichi rubbed his eye the moment he saw the notification bar almost staring back at him. This wasn't his boss messaging with new number, _ right? _ It’d be a dick move for his boss niya to send this many messages in a row. He and his boss weren’t even close at all! Maybe it was a scam? Who in the right mind would send him a thread of messages to begin with?

With a deep breath, he clicked on the notification and read the messages he received. 

**UNKNOWN NUMBER**

> _SIS! I have kuwentoooo _9 :34 PM
> 
> _ So, you know that my boss is resigning soon, right? _9:40 PM
> 
> _ Pota, they put me in charge of setting up the despedida party and grabe??? Me, of all people??? ANUNA _9:43
> 
> _ Puwede naman sana si Tooru, he’s way better than me at organizing parties and mas ma-PR yun! SO LAM MO NA, PRESSURE? Shet, sana talaga si Tooru, he’s better under pressure talaga huhu _9:45 PM
> 
> _ I mean, I'm glad that my office mates trust me with this responsibility but lam mo yon? _10:46
> 
> _ There are so many other people at the department naman?? Well, di naman one man team for the planning so medj oks but ang busy ko kasi huhu daming mga deliverables na kailangang i-submit tas sasabay pa to!!!!! _9:50
> 
> _ SHET NKKLK _9:50
> 
> _ay pucha sorry napa-rant ako sorry mami musta ka na!!!_ 9:51
> 
> _miss u, when are we going to hang out again!_ 9:52

Daichi stared at the messages, obviously at disbelief at the messages me received. Should he reply? Should he delete the thread altogether? Should he just leave it alone?

Yeah, leaving the sender of those messages sounded like a smart idea. He didn't want to embarrass the sender by sending they had the wrong person after all those messages but he didn’t want to make it seem like the intended recipient was ghosting this mystery person. Whatever, it would do less damage if he just stayed quiet to begin with. 

Daichi ended up eating a really late dinner— which wasn’t really dinner, but it was better than going back to sleep on an empty stomach— and took a shower afterwards to get all the grime off his body. As he went back to his room, his phone’s message alert ringtone went off. With his eyebrows scrunched, he checked the notification. It was from the mystery person yet again. 

**UNKNOWN NUMBER**

> _Hellooooo Yaku? Sorry na for flooding you _ 😭 _Swear, babawi ako! Libre kita when we meet again!! _ 10:40

Daichi was speechless. _ Tangina, ang daming ganap? Sino ba ‘to? _He wasn’t sure on what to do. He felt bad for this person who was texting him just to update Yaku on their life. Maybe he should ask Kuroo for advice; after all, his flatmate was still awake and he could probably make sense of everything happening. It was a little too much to process at that very moment.

Daichi got out of bed and walked over to the living area of the unit. There, he saw Kuroo trying to read a stack of readings for a research class even if a Netflix window was open on his laptop. Daichi couldn’t help but snort at that, which lead to a rather snarky greeting by Kuroo.

“Oh, _bakit? _What's up, Sleeping Beauty?”

“_Gago,_ sorry _na_, Kuroo.” Daichi couldn’t help but laugh. “Anyway, can you help me out with something?” He sat beside the taller male and started to look for the messages he received that evening. 

Kuroo rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat. After all, he couldn't say no to Daichi since they've been friends for a while now. He put all his attention on his flatmate; plus, it was a break from all the reading he was doing. “Fine, fine. What's the matter—”

“Isn't it sketchy that someone sent me a bunch of messages, Kuroo?” He showed the phone screen to his flatmate. Kuroo raised an eyebrow and took the phone from Daichi’s hands. He read through the thread and laughed the moment he read the first few messages. 

“_Pre,_ wrong send_ lang ‘yan_. Just tell them— wait.” He scrolled a bit to double check a name he saw. Was he seeing it correctly?

“Yaku?”

“Huh? Do you know this Yaku person that mystery person intended to message?” Daichi was trying to put the puzzle pieces together. Unfortunately, he didn't have a lot of luck in that department. 

Kuroo scrunched his nose. “If this is the same person I know, he was my classmate for a few majors back in undergrad,” he paused. “_Teka,_ can I double check your number?”

“Ha, you don’t know my number?” Daichi scoffed. “‘_Di_ mo _pala sinasave ‘yung_ number _‘ko, gago ka_—”

“_Ulol, kalma ka lang_. I’m just going to compare your number with Yaku’s, dumbass,” Kuroo was already scrolling through Daichi’s contacts and found his flatmate’s number. He got his own phone and looked for his contact for a certain Morisuke Yaku.

A soft “oh” escaped Daichi’s lips. Sleep didn't mean his common sense would be fully there with him after all. Just as he was about to speak, he thought of something that might lead them to a dead-end. “What if Yaku already changed his number from the last time you got it?”

“Don't worry, he’s the type of person who doesn’t change their phone number unless something really bad happens, like if his phone gets stolen or his sim gets corrupted— Oh shit.”

“_Bakit?_”

“Your numbers almost completely the same, holy shit—" Kuroo's face was one of immense surprise. He didn't expect anything like this to happen in this lifetime. It was something really weird, almost insignificant, but what were the chances?

"Okay, so this person really sent these by mistake. Probably lost their contacts or something or input the wrong one by mistake. Thought they had the right number.” Kuroo set his phone down and gave Daichi back his phone.

Daichi got his phone back with thanks and Kuroo spoke up again as he was rubbing his temples. “_Gago_, reply to them! You’re going to make the person think Yaku ghosted them. Don’t be that asshole.”

Daichi nodded and said his thanks as he stared at his phone screen. Who was this person? Who was Yaku? How the _ fuck _was he suddenly roped into this entire mess?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think! hassle naman yung nangyari kay daichi huhu
> 
> hmu on twitter! @daichistan
> 
> \--
> 
> Translations:
> 
> kuwento - tea, a story, etc.  
pota/pucha - a swear word (puta)  
anuna - ano na >> kind of like "what the fuck!" in this context  
puwede naman sana si Tooru - they could have picked Tooru  
lam mo na - so, you know  
talaga - really; to place emphasis on something after a word.  
'di naman - not really  
medj - sort of  
daming mga deliverables na kailangang i-submit tas sasabay pa to - so many deliverables to submit and on top of those, i have to deal with this  
NKKLK - nakakaloka >> so stressful! (in this context)  
musta ka na - how are you  
babawi ako! libre kita - i'll make it up to you! i'll treat you to something  
bakit - why  
gago - swear, kind of like fucker


	3. mystery sender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi can't sleep and ends up messaging the mystery person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, work is eating me alive but I managed to type this up to relax! hope y'all enjoy xo

Daichi was still awake— it was almost midnight— which was rare for him. This was probably thanks to the nap he took the moment he got home earlier that day. He stared at his phone screen, wondering about the mystery person that was messaging him. The words that Kuroo said stuck with him and he didn’t want this person to think that their friend ghosted them, so he took a deep breath and mustered the courage to type up a reply. 

_“Hey! I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you’ve got the wrong number.”_

Yeah, that sounded pretty okay. It was polite and it wasn’t a douche-y reply at all. He just hoped the person who texted him replies since he had to admit, after reading those messages a bunch of times, the chaotic energy was pretty fun. He knew little to nothing about the stranger, but he had a gut feeling that he’d enjoy their company.

_ Okay, send it na. _He pressed the send button, and yes, even if it was around a few minutes until midnight, he was hoping that the mystery person would reply. Though, he didn’t want to expect so he closed the messages app right after sending said text. He proceeded to scroll through facebook and twitter to check his daily dose of memes, courtesy of his university friends and old team mates. 

Even if the dose of wholesome dog memes and tired work memes made him laugh, he still couldn’t get his mind off getting a reply from the mystery person. 

Just as he made up his mind to try and go to sleep again, his phone vibrated. It was from the mystery person and he nearly dropped his phone in surprise. Scrambling to get a proper hold of his phone, he swiped the screen and opened the notification.

_ Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry! _11:40 PM

Daichi raised an eyebrow. _ Cute, _he thought at how the mystery person typed out the entirety of oh my goodness like that. This was soon followed up with another message.

_Shet, nakakahiya talaga huhu. _😶 _Um. Sorry talaga _😔 11:40 PM

_ Okay, so at least I know they’re a nice person even if the first encounter I had with them was very chaotic. _He didn’t realize a smile was on his lips as he crafted a reply to the mystery person once more. Luckily, Kuroo was asleep in the other room so he didn’t have anyone to tease him about how he was staying up because he was texting someone. 

_ It’s fine, really! Maybe the person you were texting and I have similar phone numbers? _11:50 PM

_Oh shit. You’re right. I’m super sorry!! _11:59 PM

Daichi was concerned at how often this person was apologizing; after all, it wasn’t completely their fault that they messaged him by mistake. Before Daichi could type a reply, he received yet another message. This time, it caught him off guard.

_ Wait. what should I call you? _ 11:59 PM

Daichi raised an eyebrow at this. Normally, people wouldn’t really ask it like this. If anything, they would ask who they were right off the bat after mistakenly sending the wrong message but this person was here, asking him politely about what he should be called. He shrugged it off anyway and typed up a message.

_Sawamura is fine. And you? _12:04 AM

_ Sugawara is fine _😊_ And I’m really sorry talaga! I won’t bother you again, sorry Sawamura. Thanks for being so nice! _12:07 AM

_No, it’s fine! No need to apologize anymore. Shit happens. _12:11 AM

Should he just let this person free like that? His gut feeling wanted to talk to Sugawara more. Before he knew it, his fingers were already formulating a reply on their own.

_ Well, I mean, I was really surprised to get your messages but it’s fine with me if you want someone to talk to. I’m just really at work all the time if not at home, so it was honestly really a surprise when you texted me all of that. _12:15 AM

Sawamura panicked at what his unfiltered self had managed to type. He didn’t want Sugawara to think he was creepy even if their exchanges started with something that was meant for someone else. He still upheld his manners and values after all. He normally wouldn’t care but here he was, invested in some rando that sent him a wrong text? He wasn’t even sure would reply anymore. It was quite a lucky feat that Sugawara managed to reply to him already since most people would probably drop it after being informed that it was the wrong person. 

_ Oh! Sure! I’d love that. I mean, we’re already talking right now so I think it’ll be alright to talk naman! _12:19 AM

As weird as it seemed, Daichi was relieved at the reply given to him by Sugawara. Maybe it was because he hasn’t met anyone new in a while because of his job? It was actually pretty sad but hey, what mattered was that he was having fun talking to this person. It would be a plus if they ended up being friends because of this entire mishap too. 

_Thanks_ 😊 _I’m glad you trust me! _12:22 AM

_ Well, you were honest with me about the entire wrong recipient situation and handled it properly so I think you’re okay to talk to! Sorry uli ha huhu I got excited and wanted to talk to my friend, but I lost all my contacts and thought I memorized his number by heart _😭 12:26 AM

_ Haha, its fine. I hope you figure out his number soon! Since we probably have similar numbers. _12:30 AM

_ I’d message him elsewhere but he hasn’t been checking his chat apps and sns accounts because he’s really busy this time of year. I’ll figure it out, though! Thank you, Sawamura! _12:32 AM

Daichi imagined this. Must be difficult to have one of your (presumably) closest friends so busy that you can't talk to them that much anymore. He threw all caution to the wind and sent a message that filtered him wouldn't have dared sent. His heart was beating so loud in his chest; he couldn't believe that he was reacting to this little thing like he was in high school. 

_ You're welcome! Will be supporting you. Also, Do you wanna talk somewhere else? Or was that too forward lol _12:36 AM

_No, it’s fine!_ 😆_ We can talk on telegram or line if you want! Since honestly, texts give me quite the scare sometimes when my phone starts ringing HAHA my boss usually texts me for urgent things, so it’s really a minefield when I text people! If it’s not my boss, it’s clients _12:40 AM

_ Sige, G. And don’t worry, same, I feel you on the texts thing. I’m more comfortable with telegram! You can just add my number. _12:42 AM

And not too long after, he got a notification from telegram from Sugawara. His display image wasn’t his face; it was a cat. Probably his own? Either way, Daichi didn’t really mind that he didn’t know what Sugawara looked like. With his social battery still pretty full, they continued to message each other and just like that, they spent the wee hours of the morning exchanging texts and memes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as usual, if you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to hmu on twitter! @daichistan
> 
> \---  
translations
> 
> Shet, nakakahiya talaga huhu. - Shit, this is so embarrassing (cries)


	4. step up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> daichi's friends decide to talk a little sense into him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> took me a while but ya girl is back! it's a lot more filo this time but i'll try placing the translations asap xo love y'all

The two exchanged messages quite frequently, which was surprising given that they both seemed to be in professions that were time consuming. Daichi was a project officer at a humanitarian firm, which was supposedly an ideal but the entire set up was not conducive for his health given the workload and the work hours. Meanwhile, Sugawara seemed to be part of a tech company, in charge of both HR matters _ and _certain projects as well. 

It made Sawamura forget about the cute person he saw at the convenience store but sometimes the memory would replay in his mind and he would wonder about how this person was. Anyway, it wasn’t as if he would cross paths with this person again, _ right? _It’s been a few months already, so it was probably just by coincidence that they met each other. Maybe they were just there in the area for a meeting? Who knows!

_ Has it really been that long? _The thought would often cross his mind ever since he felt the work day go by faster, thanks to Sugawara. Though half the time, they were complaining about work and officemates, Daichi didn’t find himself complaining. Sharing his thoughts with someone and listening to someone about their worries; the exchange was something that felt very organic. Organic was probably something that was far off from how this entire thing started to begin with. 

It’s been roughly two months since the exchanges of messages had taken place and it was yet another work day. Normally, Mondays would be dreadful and Daichi wouldn’t enjoy waking up just to go out to commute early to get his job on time but he’s surprisingly okay. 

He was already walking along San Miguel Avenue, and since he was relatively earlier than usual, he went for his coffee run at the same Family Mart he frequented. He was on his phone, texting Sugawara when he was suddenly welcomed by a bunch of messages on top of the ones that he forgot to reply to the previous evening. 

> **boks 🤩**
> 
> Hooooy good morning mga friends!
> 
> **tetsu pogi**
> 
> Ang aga-aga, Bokuto jusq
> 
> **boks 🤩**
> 
> Di kasi tayo pinapansin ni Daichi!! Daichi hellooo pansinin mo kami lam namin na gising ka na may trabaho ka todaaay

He shook his head and got a pastry and a coffee and proceeded to pay to the cashier. He wasn’t particularly fond of getting more expensive coffee at coffee shops if it were this early in the morning since he just needed the right kind of coffee to keep him awake. Convenience store coffee normally did the job right.

> **iwa pagod**
> 
> Hoy, ingay niyo baka papasok pa lang si Daichi
> 
> **boks 🤩**
> 
> De, oks lang yan! AYUN SINEEN TAYO

Before he went on his way to his office, he typed a message to his friends that read _ “Good morning, ano yun? Haha may gusto ba kayong itanong?” _He knew that his friends were the type to pester him in chat if they wanted to know something. 

> **iwa pagod**
> 
> Gusto sana nilang tanungin if nag-exchange na kayo ng ibang socials ni Sugawara. I know you guys talk on telegram but curious lang kami. Sila for news, me naman for safety.
> 
> **papa daichi**
> 
> Nope we haven’t, bakit Iwa?
> 
> **moniwa 😌**
> 
> Good morning! Daichi, di ka nagkukuwento!! I just found out through Kuroo since he mentioned it a few times.
> 
> **tetsu pogi**
> 
> Ehehe, sorry Daichi. Anyway, kuwento mo na sa kanila! Do you even know what this person looks like?
> 
> **papa daichi**
> 
> No…? Bakit, Moniwa?
> 
> **moniwa **😌
> 
> Daichi, sorry please don’t get mad at me, but can I ask, you’ve been talking for a while, right?
> 
> **papa daichi**
> 
> it’s fine, don’t worry. And yeah, around two months na?

The chat was quiet for a while when Sawamura sent this reply. This was the case until Bokuto broke the atmosphere with an all caps message which exuded his energy which was emphasized by a few excited stickers.

> **boks 🤩**
> 
> DAICHI ASK FOR HIS SNS NA!!!!
> 
> **papa daichi**
> 
> Why? And shit ang aga, ang ingay niyo na haha stress kayo
> 
> **boks 🤩**
> 
> I mean, aren’t you curious as to how this person is like face to face? Like how they look, how they’re like IRL ganun!

The chat went on for a while, with all the participants actively trying to hype their friend Daichi up to ask Sugawara about the other SNS accounts they own, as well as how they look like. For the most part, Bokuto was mostly the one being noisy while Moniwa was being supportive and giving tips. Kuroo was joking about flirting with Sugawara since Daichi seemed to develop a soft spot for them. All of this was going on as Daichi was trying his best not to drop his food and spill his coffee.

Luckily, he managed to get to his office on time with no problems.

* * *

His friends _ did _ have a point. It’s not like it didn’t cross his mind before, but because he was scared that things might get weird once he and Sugawara knew how each other looked like. It was a weird worry he had and it wasn't _completely _irrational, right? He couldn’t stay like this forever thought so he might as well take his friends’ advice. 

He didn’t want to actually look for the guy on social media yet since that would be a rabbit hole of looking through their content, so he thought of the next best thing to do. Since he was done with his assignments for the day and he still on his break anyway, he decided to get his phone and message Sugawara. 

_ “Do you wanna hang out soon? I just realized we’ve been talking for a while now and I think it’d be nice if we could actually hang out irl! But I totally get if you don’t want to or you’re uncomfortable.” _11:30 AM

Not too soon after, he got a reply. Was Sugawara not busy this time that he could reply? Amazing that an HR employee would be easily messaging him back at work hours; the fact made him chuckle. 

_ “what! How can i be uncomfortable HAHA i’ve been talking to you for a while and it’s totally fine! I think it’d be nice if we finally met, yeah _ 😄_"__ 11:34 AM _

_“Oh also! Do u wanna exchange other socmed accounts? Or dito na lang muna tayo?? I mean, matagal na tayong magkausap but oks lang if you’re not comfy sharing with me!_” 11:36 AM

Daichi chuckled at the double message and continued to exchange messages with Sugawara. He found it endearing and felt the energy emanating from his replies so he couldn't help but smile as he typed.

_ “I’m fine with later na lang. I’m pretty comfortable with telegram since it doesn’t really lag, unless you would find it more convenient to chat elsewhere?” 11:40AM _

_ “It’s fine, Sawamura. Same same naman, haha. If ever lang naman, just let me know okie!” 11:41 AM _

_ Sugawara is typing… _

It was flashed on top of their chat for a while and Daichi couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. The typing stopped for a while then continued then stopped again before a message was received. 

_ “I know we haven't met yet, but feel ko mag-eenjoy talaga yung company mo irl? I mean, gets ba??? enjoy ko naman talaga yung pakikipag-usap w u and all hehe so feel ko di naman magiging awks irl, yk?" 11:50AM _

_ Sugawara is typing… _

Again? Daichi patiently waited for Sugawara to finish typing that message. As he was waiting, one of his officemates asked him if he wanted to buy food but he decided to come with. After all, it was just at the nearby convenience store. Plus, he needed to stretch and walk anyway. Daichi pocketed his phone and got his wallet and followed his officemates downstairs. He was with Ennoshita and Kiyoko but there was minimal conversation, spare the small talk. It was a tiring cycle this season at work, so he wasn’t too surprised that they weren’t as chatty.

“Kaya pa?” he asked the two as they walked to the elevator. He noticed that the two were a little low in spirits, so he hoped that talking to them would distract them, even just a little. 

“Oo, kaya pa naman, Sawamura. ” Kiyoko was still pretty calm as she said this, but a tired smile was resting on her lips. 

“Grabe lang talaga yung mga reports this time of year, 'no?” Ennoshita had a defeated sigh. A lot of the work he’s doing for the office involved writing and proofreading reports so he felt his eyes grow tired even if it was only lunch break. 

“Masasanay ka rin, Ennoshita!”

As the three of them started to talk about work, Daichi’s phone vibrated in his pocket but he waited until they were down to the lobby of the building to check his messages again. 

_ “tanga ko lang di ba di ko pa nga alam kung ano yung hitsura mo pero eto tayo?? We’re out here, talking about our troubles and everything in between. Thanks talaga sa pag-unawa sa mga rants ko since napansin mo naman siguro na dapat hindi talaga to nangyari. Natawa naman ako sa pakikiride mo kasi, ewan. Refreshing siya? tapos skl, ano” 11:53AM _

Daichi was impatient and immediately replied even if he saw that Sugawara was still typing. Admittedly, he doesn’t type _ this _fast unless he’s cramming report revisions or ordering food. Or when he had to remind his younger siblings to do their chores or their homework. He didn’t trip on his way out of the building and followed his two officemates as they walked to the convenience store. 

_ “luh, oks lang talaga!! Ano ba, haha. di ka tanga, Sugawara!!! Sige ka, magagalit ako if you call yourself that again >:( And hey, I appreciate this a lot! I like talking to you and listening to you and your company in general. I’m glad that you trust me.” 11:56 AM _

Just as he sent it, he received a short message from Sugawara. 

_ “Takot ako na baka ma-turn off ka sa kin if we meet—” 11:56 AM _

Daichi cocked his head at this and he wasn’t even sure why Sugawara felt this way. He scrambled to type up his thoughts without a filter; he wanted Sugawara to know how that it was fine, that he _ enjoyed _his company and this was possibly the first time in a while he managed to click with someone like this despite the circumstances. 

He was trying to reply to the small talk that Kiyoko and Ennoshita; luckily, it was mostly Ennoshita talking about how he was still adjusting to the new work environment and Kiyoko giving her outputs and giving encouraging statements. 

_ “Luh, alam ko na nga drama sa trabaho mo, sa pamilya mo, pati sa mga friends mo eh. I'm actually pretty excited to meet you irl! Di ako matuturn off, promise. Now that I realize, I don't know what you look like which is ridiculous kasi we can easily send selfies naman. ridiculous lang for not thinking of this sooner HAHA slight lang naman." 12:03PM _

Daichi waited and felt his face grow warm. He wasn’t sure what came over him that he suddenly said all of that; it was just the feeling he got when he was so sure of something but why was it suddenly blooming here with his chat with Sugawara?

_ “Thank you, Sawamura! Means a lot talaga _ 🤗 _Really, I appreciate it a lot. Sorry ha, I know it’s a downer but thanks for being patient with me. And oh! bakit? do you want a selfie ba now? send ko sa yo HAHAHA” 12:08 PM _

Daichi felt his heart beat loudly when he read the message; it was as if his entire heart was beating against his ribcage. His face started to feel warm and his mouth dry and as a result, he nearly bumped into one of the convenience store shelves. Luckily, Kiyoko and Ennoshita didn’t notice. Why was he nervous? Regardless, he was thankful that Sugawara wasn’t physically with him at that moment or else the way his body was reacting was going to give him away. Cooly, he types a response.

_ "I was just teasing, uy." 12:14 PM _

Once he sent his response, Daichi made his way to the rice meals section of the convenience store and decided to pick one that didn’t seem too sad when it was warm. He still had extra money set aside but one of those fancier sandwiches wouldn’t be too filling but they were more appetizing. 

“ Ano kukunin mo , Sawamura?”

“ ‘Di ako sure. Ano kinuha mo, Kiyoko?”

“ Mukha tong beef?”

The two laughed and Daichi decided on buying the sandwiches instead of the rice meal. He returned the rice box down back on the shelf and moved to the next shelf to get two sandwiches and went with Kiyoko and Ennoshita to the cashier.

As they lined up, Daichi got a reply from Sugawara and this message resulted in a raised eyebrow.

_ "De, paninindigan ko na, i will grant your request!! Hihi. plus, mag-hahang out tayo soon di ba? Kailangan mo namang malaman kung anong hitsura ko. Give me a sec, di pa ko masyadong mukhang tao HAHA" 12:16 PM _

Sugawara had a point on the selfie; how was he supposed to know what this person would look like when they manage to set a meeting to hang out? This was also the point made by his university friends earlier on in the day when they were talking to each other. 

_ “Ha? i’m sure you look fine!” 12:18 PM _

It was a safe reply; he wasn’t sure on what to say exactly. He pocketed his phone, paid for his food, and went to the side of the cashier to wait for his food to heat up with Kiyoko and Ennoshita. They started to talk again, this time on a new movie that recently came out that focused on historical fiction. Ennoshita started to ramble about what he thought about it and Daichi and Kiyoko listened intently to the discussion.

In the middle of it all, Daichi’s phone vibrated, so he took his phone out of his pants pocket and checked the notification. Sugawara kept true to his promise and sent a selfie as requested but Daichi nearly froze when he saw that photo. The lighting was just the right amount of brightness that wasn’t overpowering, the angle of the photo was flattering and, more importantly, it was a guy with silver hair and a gummy smile. Sugawara? Was it really possible? Was he the person he saw at the convenience store before?

“Sawamura, are you okay? Let’s go back to the office na, sa pantry na lang tayo kumain_. _”

“Ah! Yeah, sorry Kiyoko. Spaced out for a while there,” he got a hold of his food and nodded at his office mate as they made their way back to their building. Thoughts of the convenience store person and Sugawara’s messages were still trying to process in his head and he found himself thinking about this for the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translations to follow!
> 
> but hello! thank you for reading, if you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to reach me at @daichistan on twitter!


	5. bulaga haliparot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi's breaks the news to his friends and said friends try and help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back after a hiatus HAHA i hope this update finds you well! this is a little silly update, it's been in the works for a while because i've had difficulty thinking of what to put. i hope you enjoy!

“Guys help” without much context caused the group chat to burst into a flurry of messages that needed to be filtered. The first to reply with substance was Iwaizumi, obviously concerned at his friend because this kind of message was reserved for urgent matters.

**iwa pagod**

Anong nangyari? May uupakan ba kami?

**papa daichi**

Oh no, don’t worry you don’t need to fight anyone i just need a sec to compose my feelings.

It’s true though, Sawamura was surprised at the revelation from earlier that day. He wasn’t sure how to wrap his head around the new information that was given to him. Of course, he didn’t just leave Sugawara hanging and told him that he would properly talk to him later when he got home because he was busy. Of course, he _ did _ manage to muster the strength to tell Sugawara he was really cute and he promised him he was going to send a selfie back. But in Sawamura’s words, _ shit, sorry, nagmamadali lang ako, napatagal break namin ng officemates ko, ttyl! Promise, message kita mamaya ah!!! _

Okay, it was really ridiculous and very high school of him, but he didn’t have the brain cells to construe a proper reply. He needed to clear his head before he fucked this up any further. Luckily, Sugawara said he was going to be busy the rest of the afternoon with meetings so he didn’t mind. 

**moniwa 😌**

Ok! We’re here to listen. What’s up?

_ Thank god, _ Daichi thought; he was glad that someone was calm enough to send that reassuring to the chat. However, before Daichi could explain what was happening to him, Kuroo came into the chat with a few messages in all-caps. 

**tetsu pogi**

GAGO GHINOST MO BA SIYA LUH PAPATAYIN KA NI YAKU

Daichi rolled his eyes and immediately replied to Kuroo’s message with the same energy. He wouldn’t back down without a fight. Plus, it was quite uncalled for even if they _were _friends and flatmates. Even if he was teasing, it was pretty tactless. 

**papa daichi**

DI KO SIYA GHINOST GAGO di ako kupal ano ba at di mo nga alam kung sino to eh!!! Masyado kang busy para tulungan akong maghanap on socmed ulol

**tetsu pogi**

labyu pare sorry lam mo naman, hirap ng masters zzz

Well, Daichi wasn’t going to deny that masters was taking more than enough energy from Kuroo’s usual self but it wasn’t even that hard to search up a few names on social media, right? Regardless, Daichi shrugged it off and waited for his friends to reply to the chat. Luckily, Moniwa expressed his mild annoyance at their friend and pushed Daichi to continue on with his story. 

**moniwa 😌**

ano ba kuroo, lol. so, ano yun Daichi?

Daichi took a deep breath and composed himself as he typed the message with the newfound revelation to his friends. His cheeks were still quite warm as he sent this message, the image of the silver haired male imprinted in his thoughts. 

**papa daichi**

gago guys. siya yung cute na nakita ko sa family mart two months ago, hala????

**iwa pagod**

Oh what! Coincidence naman na diyan siya talaga nagwowork? Who would have thought. 

**tetsu pogi**

Yie, di na siya aalis ng Ortigas 

_ Tangina talaga nito ni Kuroo, buti na lang mahal ko yang gagong yan-- _ Daichi rolled his eyes and thankfully, no one who was passing by his cubicle really noticed that he was in a predicament of his own wherein he was discussing possible solutions with his friends. I mean, Kuroo wasn’t exactly _ wrong _ that going back and forth to Ortigas was something he managed to tolerate, but he wouldn’t leave his tiring job _ just _for a cute boy he was talking to. 

**boks 🤩**

SHET HOY ANO HISTURA NIYA GAGO SEND MO SELFIE NIYA CUTE BA

**boks 🤩**

SORRY LATE HELLO PERO SHET!!! DATE NA KAYO PLEASE

Daichi raised an eyebrow at this. First, he wasn’t going to simply send the selfie that Sugawara sent him because his friends told him to. Well, at least right off the bad. Second, why the sudden comment? Why were they so adamant about him going out on dates again? Possibly because it’s been quite some time since he’s gone on a proper date that ended well, but who knows? Maybe his friends were just projecting on him so he could actually get pressured to go out and do something? 

**papa daichi**

agad agad?

**tetsu pogi**

ulol dalawang buwan na kayong nag-uusap anong agad-agad 

Kuroo wasn’t _ wrong. _Two months of talking nearly everyday despite their busy work schedules. For the most part, they didn’t even talk about substantive things all the time. It was mostly talking about each other’s days, work rants, and anything under the sun. It became routine for Daichi to message Sugawara without much thought and he felt light every time he would be speaking with him. His mind was about to drift off to a montage of conversations they had until he was snapped back into reality when his phone vibrated.

**moniwa 😌**

by the way, send a selfie back? It’s rude to keep him waiting, Daichi. 

**iwa pagod**

guys. Not to be the one to burst your bubble but have you seen how daichi takes selfies lol he needs help. Also, daichi, send his picture. Tingnan natin kung mapagkakatiwalaan yung pagmumukha ni sugawara. 

**boks 🤩**

shit, di ko inexpect na si iwa yung magsasabi nun HAHA 

Daichi agreed with Bokuto; he didn’t expect Iwaizumi of all people to be straightforward and message that to the group chat. He felt a little hurt but his friend wasn’t wrong; Daichi wasn’t the best at taking photos of himself. Before he could compose a reply, his phone vibrated once more. 

**tetsu pogi**

Moniwa, tulungan natin si Daichi, please. Ikaw pinakamalapit sa apartment. Please.

**moniwa 😌**

game, punta ako pagkatapos ng shift ko

**iwa pagod**

Hoy, btw rineplyan mo ba siya wag mo siyang iwanan sa ere! tama si moniwa tangina daichi 

**papa daichi**

i told him i was busy muna at work so ill be replying late tas sabi naman niya na may mga meeting siyang i-fafacilitate the entire afternoon so kebs lang naman daw. Also, teka, send ko yung selfie in a while.

**tetsu pogi**

tangina daichi ang dense mo talaga hayup

* * *

And with that, after the work day, Kuroo and Moniwa were the first to greet Daichi at the apartment. Daichi was surprised to see that those two kept true to their promise; Moniwa was often busy at work and usually had to render overtime. Kuroo, on the other hand, was staying in the apartment for the entire day since he had a free day from graduate school.

“You guys really don’t trust me to take a selfie?”

The two of them just smiled awkwardly at Daichi. As much as they loved their friend, he wasn’t the person they would trust to take a proper and presentable selfie. Awkward angles? Unnecessary blurring? An obviously shaky photo? It would _possibly _be enough for Sugawara to get turned off no matter how well they were getting along. 

“Tinuan mo, tol.”

“We love you but you can’t take a selfie for shit. Now wait, Kuroo will take the photo and I’ll be fixing you up. Trust me, alright?”

Moniwa proceeded to coach Daichi on the specifics on what to take note of when taking selfies. Of course, Daichi knew all of this already but his execution was always a little… off. He wasn’t one to take lots of selfies anyway since he didn’t really see the huge appeal of it all. After nearly half an hour of teaching Daichi the basics of selfie 101 and fixing how Daichi looked, Moniwa and Kuroo were quietly observing their nearly hopeless friend. Daichi did manage to take a few decent selfies, but for good measure, Kuroo took a few photos of his friend. 

“Ayan. Send na natin kay Sugawara.” 

“Hoy gago wag, pakita mo muna sa kin--”

“Oops, too late. Sent it na.” Kuroo had a shit eating grin as he gave Daichi back his phone. Daichi, on the other hand, scrambled to get the phone from his flatmate’s hands and had a look of horror painted across his face. 

Luckily, the picture was more than decent; Moniwa and Kuroo did a good job coaching him on what to do. Daichi was surprised; he thought Kuroo would be messing with him. The photo highlighted how nice his smile was and really radiated warm energy. It was all good, right? What he wasn’t prepared for was the messages that he saw afterwards that read: _sorry that took a while, was busy all day. Pero pogi pa rin naman ako, di ba? Hehe_

“Kupal ka talaga, Tetsurou! Putangina mo gago ka--”

But before Daichi could smack Kuroo on the arm, his phone buzzed.

“Hala! You’re so cute. Pogi mo nga, Daichi! Hehe. Parang nag-photoshoot ka pa diyan ah! pero I'm not complaining 😌” 8:40 PM

Another buzz. Daichi felt a little light headed. 

“And, we’ve met before, haven’t we?” 8:41 PM

Even though Daichi was well into his twenties, he felt like he was back in high school getting caught by his crush. It was _ that _exact feeling. He wanted to bury himself under the ground for a solid three days. Shakily, he started typing, hoping that his nervousness wouldn’t translate into his message.

“Mhm. Family mart, yeah?” 8:43 PM

“Yeah. 😄" 8:45 PM

_ Sugawara is typing… _

Daichi hissed at his friend, unable to process everything that was happening right now. “Kuroo, tangina mo talaga hayop ka--”

Buzz.

“Shit. Nakakahiya oh my god but fuck it! Is it bad if I told you I want to meet you again? Like, to properly hang out with you this time? I know we agreed on it earlier but you know, to really concretize the idea? Maybe over drinks? Possibly this Friday? You don't have to be obliged to say yes, I would totally understand if you didn't want to go out with me since this is so sudden 😭” 8:48 PM

Daichi stared at his phone, dumbfounded at the message. Was this real? Was _ any _of this real? Before Daichi could get another word out of his mouth, Kuroo managed to peer over at Daichi’s shoulder and gave him a gentle nudge, which was followed by a silly wink. 

“You’re welcome,” He still had that smug grin on his face. “Now go get him, Daichi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was text heavy huhu. i'll make sure to really focus on descriptions later on! ehehe for any comments or suggestions, feel free to lmk on my anitwt! @daichistan


	6. shot(s)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two finally meet, with Daichi a nervous mess and Sugawara laughing at how endearing he was acting. Thankfully, alcohol comes to the rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, i'm alive! i'm busy with work and with the pandemic, I've been working from home so I've had time to actually write again.

Daichi couldn’t believe himself; what the  _ fuck _ was he exactly getting himself into? To be fair, the decisions leading up to this point were of his choice so he couldn’t exactly blame it on some other higher being or power. It’s not as if he didn’t have a choice either-- he could have easily told Sugawara he wasn’t interested but here he was, waiting for Sugawara outside a bar, ten minutes before their supposed meeting time.

Honestly, he’s been here half an hour since before the meetup time but that was only because Moniwa had to run a few errands around the area and he came with. He didn’t want to go inside the bar yet since he was unsure of what to order and even if alcohol was on his mind, he didn’t want to get anything that was too strong and he might totally fuck up this first  _ proper  _ meeting of theirs. While fiddling with the collar of his polo shirt, all he could think about was how he looked really stupid. He was probably overdressed for this; it wasn’t even a date after all but he felt like wearing a shirt and jeans combination would be underdressing. Plus, Moniwa urged him to wear one of his nicer printed polos; he couldn’t say no because he would get an earful if he didn’t look his best. 

Around five minutes passed and not too soon after, a silver-haired male was waving a hand in front of Daichi’s face. A huge grin was on his lips, his overall aura very cheerful which was amplified by his color-blocked outfit-- a light denim jacket over a mustard yellow shirt, and dark blue jeans. 

“Hello, early bird.” Sugawara chirped, a chuckle escaping his lips. “You were spacing out and you looked nervous, Sawamura. Don’t freak out; it's just gonna be you, me, drinks, and a bunch of other people at the bar.” 

Daichi was lowkey freaking out at the observation that Sugawara had-- was he  _ really  _ that transparent?-- but before he could find his voice, Sugawara was a little bit closer than earlier. Just a little. Maybe a few steps nearer.

“And you’re cute, you know that?” It was the first thing he heard from Sugawara’s mouth that really fully registered-- not even the former statements that were still currently trying to decode in his thoughts.

Of course, seeing as his thoughts were racing at a much faster pace than his body, all he could muster was a simple: “Ano?”

“Sorry, was that too forward?” Sugawara was trying to fight back his laughter by biting his lip, which came across as flirty. Sawamura’s face was now a noticeable shade of red and Sugawara couldn’t wipe that grin off his face, making Sawamura even more flustered. Sawamura could only shake his head despite how his body was reacting. After an agonizing few seconds, Sawamura managed to find his voice and managed to get a hold of himself from that nervous stance from earlier.

“It’s fine, really.” he scratches the back of his neck. “I was just surprised that someone so attractive thinks  _ I’m  _ cute.”

Sugawara chuckles at this and manages to tap Daichi’s nose. “Of course. I wouldn’t have been extra smiley at that family mart if I didn’t think you were attractive, you know.” 

Daichi couldn’t stop himself from chuckling as he rolled his eyes at the comment. He didn’t expect Sugawara to be this chipper from his assumptions from when they’ve been talking consistently over the past few months. For Daichi, Sugawara seemed more like someone who was generally just tired and pretty sarcastic. 

“ _ Malandi ka talaga,  _ Sugawara.”

“Of course.”

The two burst into laughter at the exchange and in the most natural way possible, their hands managed to find each other and connect. Daichi wasn’t sure what came over him but he wasn’t complaining. It was weird but comforting, Daichi thought. It was weird that he was right here, in front of some guy he found cute from months ago, became textmates with him, and never bothered to ask how he looked like in the process of them chatting. Sugawara was right here-- and oddly enough, he didn’t know his first name? 

“Suga, I never got to ask you--”

“Koushi. My name is Koushi.” Sugawara said this so naturally with a cute smile on his lips. 

“How did you know--”

“Well, I figured that since we never asked each other's names and we finally met, it would be kind of weird if we didn’t know each other’s given names, right?”

“Mhm.” Sawamura couldn’t help but chuckle. “Mine’s Daichi.”

“Daichi.” The way his name rolled off Sugawara’s lips made his heart flutter. It wasn’t as if the way he said it was any different to how other people said it, oh no. Maybe it was because Sugawara looked so  _ soft  _ when he said his name. The conversation continued and the two managed to finally make their way in the bar; the atmosphere was very comfy and it wasn’t too crowded either. 

The evening continued with more conversations over shots and cocktails; Sugawara found himself surprised at the development of how much more carefree Daichi was when inebriated. Playful touches were exchanged but nothing that spurred out of the moment, of laughter that was very much unfiltered. If anything, Sawamura made him feel safe.

Around a little two hours passed and the two were still talking. Luckily for the two of them, the bar wasn’t cramped and it was at the right capacity for two people on a date to talk comfortably and  _ still  _ manage to hear each other properly without any of the nearby people shooting glances at them. Who knew that the conversations would flow so naturally? Sugawara hadn’t genuinely laughed this much in weeks while going out with someone in a bar of all places. He knew that talking with Daichi was something that he enjoyed; talking to him really eased him of the stress of his workdays. He just didn’t expect that being with Daichi (properly) for the first time was something that made him feel nervous but in a good way.  _ Shet, kinikilig talaga ako,  _ he thought, unable to take his eyes of Daichi. His short ruffled hair, his strong jawline, the way the corners of his eyes crease when he smiles, the little scrunch his nose does when he laughs--  _ Fuck it.  _ He couldn’t shake this feeling off and he could only bask in Daichi’s warmth. 

Meanwhile, Daichi felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders just by talking to Sugawara. He couldn’t deny that he couldn’t stop thinking of how cute Sugawara was when he laughed or smiled; it was a little dorky with the gummy smiles, but he just couldn’t stop thinking about how  _ bright  _ it was, how much it made him want to laugh too. The way Sugawara managed to carry a conversation was something he really enjoyed too; there was no pressure to keep on talking and talking because nothing was forced. The conversations flowed naturally and even the little silences in between didn’t feel awkward. 

“Ang funny, who knew that we would hit it off this fast?”

“To be fair, we’ve been talking for the past two months so it isn’t exactly  _ fast _ , Daichi.”

Daichi couldn’t help but laugh at this. “ _ Alam ko pero,  _ you know what I mean. Sometimes it’s awkward in real life the first time you meet someone but right now, it feels like--”

“Like?”

“I’ve known you forever.”

Sugawara wasn’t sure how to react to this but  _ maybe  _ it was because Daichi was inebriated hence the sudden statement but he couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped his lips. His face felt warm too; maybe it was all the alcohol he drank? He wasn’t too sure.    
  


“ _ ‘Tas ako yung sasabihan mo ng malandi? Grabe, ha,  _ Daichi.” he says this all jokingly as his hand rested comfortably on top of Daichi’s. Their fingers easily intertwined and Daichi couldn’t help but feel shy.

“Sorry, it’s the alcohol kaya wala akong filer,” he shyly looks away when he sees the softness of Sugawara’s expression. “I guess I just haven’t met someone that I clicked with this easily in forever, you know?”

As much as Sugawara was trying to shake off the  _ kilig  _ he felt at that moment, he could tell that Daichi was sincere with his words. He gives Daichi’s hand a little squeeze and smiles at him once more.

“I understand; I mean, same here, you know?”

And the two couldn’t help but look at each other in silence, gentle smiles on their lips. The ice in their glasses clinked softly and the music in the bar was starting to get louder. A few more people were making their way in the vicinity as well but the two didn’t seem to notice.

It was Daichi who first broke the silence.

“Do you wanna do this again?” it was the alcohol in his system that made him easily ask that without much thought of the possible outcomes. Not that he was going to regret this; he probably wasn’t going to and he’d regret not making his shot properly this time. After all, it was Sugawara’s turn the first time, he wasn’t going to let this slide. 

“Of course.”

The sigh of relief that escaped Daichi’s lips was followed by a huge grin. Sugawara couldn’t help but laugh once more and he bit his lip;  _ why was Daichi Sawamura so fucking cute?  _ But before the mess of his thoughts could process, the sudden introduction by a performer broke him out of his bubble.

_ Hi, good evening everyone! This is Semi, and I’ll be performing three songs for my set tonight-- _

This introduction made Sugawara check the time; performers usually start when the crowd starts to increase and though it took him a while to check, the numbers finally registered in his head.

“Shit,  _ lampas na pala ng _ 11? I mean, _ maaga pa naman, pero paano ka makakauwi nito _ , Daichi?” 

“Grab  _ na lang _ , it’s fine.”

“Sure _ka_? _Baka mahal_, it’s a Friday evening, you know--” Sugawara couldn’t help but worry and without much thought, he cut Daichi off before he could say anything.

“Daichi, you had a little too much to drink. You can stay over at my place first.”

Sugawara’s voice was firm but concerned; he knew that Daichi i lived near the further end of Quezon City and with them currently somewhere in Makati on a Friday evening with Grabe fares surging like there was no tomorrow, he was more than happy to offer his condo for the night. The panicking can come in later when they get to the condo. He just wanted Daichi to be safe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this wasn't too sloppy!! I've had the idea for a while now but only got the chance to finally write it properly. I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> send over any comments and suggestions over at my twitter if you want !! @daichistan


	7. making the most of the night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi ends up finding himself spending the night over at Sugawara's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, i managed to find the inspiration to write again despite how difficult the quarantine is. i hope you guys have fun!! currently working on this as we speak.

“Daichi, you had a little too much to drink. You can stay over at my place first.”

Of course, Sugawara said this out of concern. After learning that Daichi lived near the further end of Quezon City, near Caloocan-- and they were somewhere in Makati on a Friday evening with Grabe fares surging like there was no tomorrow-- he was more than happy to offer his condo for the night. Additionally, with those unbelievable fares, Daichi decided against going back home to the apartment. Luckily, he was still inebriated when he said yes so he wasn’t completely opposing the idea to begin with. 

Sugawara’s condo was a short fifteen minute ride away from the bar and Daichi kept insisting that he would pay for the fare but Sugawara only laughed at this and ushered him to his unit. After an elevator ride with some fellow yuppies as well, they finally arrived at Sugawara’s humble abode. Sugawara urged Daichi to set his bag down on the sofa and afterwards, he rushed to the kitchen to offer Daichi a tall glass of water. Daichi followed suit and finally managed to make his gaze focus on the glass that was offered up to him.

“Drink this and sober up. Stay here, I’ll go find some clothes for you to change into, alright?” Sugawara scurried over into the little bedroom area, leaving Daichi by the sofa. 

Daichi could only nod as he was trying to process all that was happening but his attention span could only focus on how _ amazing  _ cold water tasted when he was still under the influence of alcohol. His head was still a little heavy, but at least his vision wasn’t a complete blur anymore. He didn’t realize how traitorous the cocktails he drank were until that very moment since the hit was still pretty strong in his system. 

Was it all a dream? It was, right? He was currently at Sugawara’s condo unit on a Friday evening. He was going to spend the night. Wait, was he? It wasn’t too late to go back home to the apartment and get roasted by his flatmates, right? 

As he finished the last sip of water, Sugawara was back, with a few folded articles of clothing at hand. It was probably the alcohol talking, but Daichi could have  _ sworn  _ there was a soft peach blush on the silver haired male’s cheeks. 

“I couldn’t really find other shirts, but I hope these fit you! If not, I can always lend you an oversized hoodie I have lying around.” 

Daichi nods at this and takes the clothes from Sugawara’s hands after setting the glass he was holding on the table. His fingers brushed lightly against Sugawara’s and it felt electric despite the brief encounter. 

“Ah, the bathroom is that door over there. If you need any toiletries and a towel, just let me know, okay? And… You probably do, I’ll be right back. ” 

Sugawara scurried over to his room once more and Daichi was left to himself, and he looked at the shirt and shorts he was given to wear for the night. It looked a little large on Sugawara, so hopefully, it’ll be okay for him. Mindlessly, he brought the clothes to his face, catching a whiff of the scent of the kempt clothes.  _ Ang bango.  _ With shut eyes, he tries to imprint the scent in his memory, only to be interrupted by Sugawara’s voice once more.

“Daichi, okay ka lang?” A chuckle filled the air, into Daichi’s ears. 

“S-sorry. Medj inaantok lang ako. Anyway, thank you--” flustered, he took the small pouch and towel from Sugawara’s hands and made his way to the bathroom, his face flushed. In obviously a hurry to hide from the object of his affections, he tried to turn the doorknob, only to be held back a few seconds. Those seconds were pure agony and embarrassment, but luckily, he managed to get through and shut the door. 

After an internal monologue, Daichi managed to take his sweet time in the shower, the cold water against his skin enough to sober him up completely. What the fuck was he doing? He went on a date with a cute guy he’s had a crush on for the past few months and here he was, within the same space he resided. In this small condo unit, he was only a few feet away from this guy. Daichi shook his head as he massaged his scalp with shampoo, shutting his eyes and heaving a deep exhale.

Sugawara was interested in him, flirted with him, and hell, Daichi could have sworn Sugawara had that look in his eyes that practically  _ yelled  _ “please kiss me.” Daichi wasn’t used to meeting people who weren’t within his circles, especially if these connections blossomed over the internet, but why did it feel so  _ comfortable  _ with Sugawara? 

Minutes later, he was done with the bath and he wiped himself down. Mindlessly, he stared at the space in front of him and his thoughts drifted to how that would be the perfect view for Sugawara to be on his knees--

No, he shook his head and washed his face once more, taking sure he snapped out of the feeling and dressed up, making sure that the clothes lent to him fit. The shirt was a little fit against his chest, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. The shorts fit him okay, as if it was just his size. When he managed to shake the last of the alcohol out of his system, he followed it up with a quick brush of his teeth. 

\--

Once the two managed to freshen up, the atmosphere around each other was a little quieter than when they were out in the bar and in the grab ride, but nevertheless, it didn’t feel awkward. A little tense, but not awkward. Or maybe the tension was something that Daichi simply imagined? 

“I’m glad the clothes I had lying around fit you, but if ‘di ka comfortable, let me know, ah?” Sugawara hung the towel he was using to dry his hair over by a clothes rack. “I can check pa here!” 

“No, it’s fine,” Daichi paused and wiggled his shoulders around a little to show Suga that he was comfortable in those clothes. A laugh escaped the silver haired male’s lips, causing Daichi to smile. “And ano, thank you for letting me stay over.”

“It’s nothing.” A warm smile was on Sugawara’s lips. “I know you live kind of a distance away and the traffic tonight is horrible. Let me know if I can do anything for you, alright?”

“Of course.”

Suga then nodded at Daichi, making his way over to his room once more. In this window of time with Daichi alone, the dark haired male finally decided to check his phone for notifications which surprised him due to the volume of messages from Kuroo. 

> _ Tetsurou _
> 
> Hoy, saan ka na bakla??? 
> 
> Uuwi ka ba???? 
> 
> Sinabihan mo sana ako kung makikipagchukchakan kang baklang ka

Daichi scoffed at the insinuation and he shook his head at the idea. Him? And Sugawara? I mean, it  _ was  _ possible but he didn’t want to make it awkward with the silver haired male. Sure, he found Sugawara attractive, but was Sugawara even into that? What if that wasn’t what he wanted? What kind of stuff would he even--

But before his thoughts would eventually take over his brain, he was interrupted by the feeling of the sinking of the space beside him on the sofa. Sugawara was now beside him once more, laptop at hand. 

“You wanna watch a movie or a show or whatever? We can chill a little before we sleep, if you aren’t already sleepy.”

“Y-yeah. I’m down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> catch me over at my new anitwt @kitaswife !! thanks for reading!!


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